The Guardian
by EmmaCurle
Summary: As Janeway finds herself at an emotional crossroads, someone out there is protecting the Voyager crew and her Captain.


Star Trek: Voyager

A/N: Whilst watching Charmed, I really liked the idea of "Guardian Angels", and having been disappointed with the way Voyager ended I'd been waiting for inspiration to write in a way that I would enjoy doing. I've not read the books, so I can only write the characters based on the way they are in the show, so there's a good chance I'm missing vital pieces of information that the rest of you have. This, and the plot, most definitely make this AU. I've not written for Voyager since I was about 17, lets just say that was a long time ago. I don't have a beta, so any mistakes are my own, for which I apologise.

Title: The Guardian

Author: Emma Curle

Pairing(s): Janeway/OC, Janeway/Chakotay, Chakotay/7, Paris/Torres

_Set before Endgame._

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_Chapter One: Lost_

Getting out of bed in the morning is one of those things that we all know needs to be done. Some people drag themselves out of bed after hitting snooze several times and others practically leap into the day, feeling refreshed from the long sleep. Kathryn Janeway was one who figured it was easier to get out of bed if you never actually got there in the first place. Although she wasn't sure when she'd started to sleep on her couch or spend the night reading a good book. But telling herself it was by choice was much easier than debating whether or not she was losing her mind.

Of course, some nights she never even reached her quarters at all; battles with aliens or shipwide malfunctions were sometimes the cause for her misfortune in that respect.

Seven years in the Delta Quadrant was a long time, and it was a way of life that she was used to. So when she woke up and lifted her head from the back of the seat, wincing at the knots it had caused, she didn't even consider that she was missing out. That there was more beyond this. A sad fact was that she had been a lone starship captain for so long that even she didn't know any different. The faint, distant memory of her previous life in the Alpha Quadrant often lingered in her dreams but were snapped back into history the instant she woke up.

Janeway yawned as she pulled on a fresh uniform and took a gulp of hot coffee. Her breakfast was an engineering report- more technical difficulties. It seemed the ship was falling apart.

Stepping out the door with her chin up, she headed straight for the bridge.

------

Crew evaluation reports may have been necessary but Commander Chakotay disliked them all the same. He hated putting people under a scrutinising spotlight like that. He didn't appreciate having to write up a report on how a person was doing based on their performance. There was more to an officer than the way he did his daily duties.

Still, he had no choice but continue on with each report.

Although, his plans were altered the moment the chime sounded at the door. "Come in," he called out, putting the PADD down and looking to see who his visitor was.

Seven of Nine stepped into the room; immediately raising her brow at the piles of reports on his desk. She had never seen that much chaos in one small space before. Chakotay chuckled, following her gaze. "Crew evaluation reports," he offered as an explanation.

As he turned to her and they locked eyes, he felt his ears start to burn up. After a moment or two he cleared his throat. "What can I do for you?"

In a rare moment (...at least, for anyone outside of this room) Seven smiled, "I wanted to thank you for a wonderful date last night. I've been told it's customary to-"

He stepped over to her, an action that made her pause mid-sentence, before he leaned in and gave her a kiss. There was something different in the way he felt when he kissed her. He kissed many women in his time -- never with disrespect -- but they hadn't felt this intimate before. Perhaps knowing it was all new for her made it different, he wasn't sure. He did know he was falling.

When they pulled apart, he smiled at her, "me, too. Thank you, I mean."

It was in that moment that he realised this was serious. It occured to him that soon enough everyone would know. This was a small ship when it came to gossip. How would they react? He knew he wanted to tell Janeway first. Chakotay stepped back with a smile. "I need to report to the bridge, and _you_ need to get back to astrometrics."

Seven nodded, "yes, sir." The smile remained until she left his office.

-------

"...assuming a standard orbit, Captain."

Those were the words that Chakotay heard when he stepped off the turbolift. All he could see was the back of heads and a beautiful planet on the view screen. It almost looked like Earth... almost. But it was good enough to make him think of home, remembering the breeze on his face and the sand inbetween his toes. "Captain?" He gave her a quizzical look when she turned around.

"We recieved a distress call," she paused to take a seat in the big chair, "we've had no response from hails and we've yet to detect any lifesigns."

He crossed the bridge and took his place beside her.

"We could take an away team down to the source of the transmission?" Harry Kim suggested. The years in space had tried to change his young, bright-eyed and eager attitude but it hadn't taken it all.

Chakotay looked from Harry to Janeway. "Take an away team, Chakotay." She told him. With a swift nod, he quickly got back out of his seat and called for Harry and Tuvok to join him.

She watched the three men leave before turning her attention back to the view screen. Even if it wasn't really Earth, it was nice to see all the same. Nice, yet heartbreaking. As Janeway gazed into the bright blue sphere she began to feel that deep dread she'd been feeling for weeks. That gut feeling that was telling her that something was horribly wrong.

"Janeway to the transporter room," she tapped her comm badge and straightened her back.

_"Yes, Captain?" _The female crewman, Hale, replied- waiting for the instructions she knew would come.

"Maintain a transporter lock on the away team at all times, if you lose it, even for a second. I want to know about it." Janeway ordered.

_"Aye, Captain." _The communication line clicked off.

Tom Paris twisted in his seat and gave his Captain a curious look, "you expecting trouble?"

"Always," she replied, grimly. She said nothing more on the subject, she just stared at the planet on the screen. Tom blinked and quickly looked away, stealing a glance at his wife, B'Elana Torres, who clearly shared his confusion on the subject. The half-Klingon simply decided not to say anything about it.

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Bright blue skies, minimal clouds and a warm summers breeze. It might sound like a weather report, but it was the only thing that the away team could focus on. Well, that is, it was all that Commander Chakotay and Harry Kim were thinking off in that moment. Commander Tuvok, however, was not concerned with how not unlike Earth this planet really was. Although, the botanist in him admired the luscious plant life from a logical point of view.

The Vulcan didn't waste too much valuable time on this -- he quickly scanned the area for any sign of life, both with his eyes and his tricorder. He found nothing.

"What have you got, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked, spotting the curious look on his face.

"Nothing," Tuvok replied. Puzzled, he continued to scan. Unconvinced that his readings were accurate.

"Isn't there supposed to be a distress call coming from these coordinates?" Harry Kim asked what was mostly a rhetorical question.

Chakotay shielded his eyes from the sun and preceeded to turn a full 360 degrees- nothing. "Why would Voyager's sensors detect a transmission when it isn't here?" Chakotay was confused, and he needed an answer as soon as possible.

It was only when the ground started shaking that he realised that he probably wouldn't like the answer. A tingling sensation crawling up his spine was enough to make him reach for his comm badge. But before his fingers could tap the device, the sudden extremely loud ringing in his ear caused his senses to go into overload and he dropped to his knees.

Tuvok remained standing and called for Voyager instead. The unwelcomed sound of crackling in subspace was the last thing Tuvok remembered before he saw the green grass fade to black.

Back on Voyager...

_"Captain, I've lost the away team!"_

Kathryn Janeway leapt up from her seat as soon as Crewman Hale raised the panic alarm. She didn't even get time to bark an order at anyone before the ship rocked from the blast of a phaser discharge. The bridge went into red alert mode in seconds. Having to adjust from the lower level of light, Paris blinked before he quickly maneuvered Voyager into a defensive position.

"Where did that ship come from?" Janeway demanded.

"It only just appeared on sensors. It must have been cloaked," replied Seven. Her tone was even yet surprised.

"Open a channel," the Captain ordered.

The crewman at Ops tried to do as instructed, but with no success. "No response, Captain." He couldn't hide his disappointment even if he wanted to.

...but no sooner had it started, it had stopped. The alien ship disappeared, leaving a puzzled a crew behind on Voyager.

"What's going on?" Paris asked, his question wasn't aimed at anyone in particular but it escaped his mouth to express his shock.

"I--" Janeway started but was interrupted,

_"Captain, I have the away team back on sensors."_

"Beam them up. Now." Janeway ordered, "Mr Paris, once the away team is back on board, take us out of orbit... slowly."

"Yes, Captain." He replied, putting her command into action.

Janeway stood behind him, her eyes glued to the screen, "we're not going anywhere until we find out what's going on."

-------

_Captain Kathryn Janeway, Personal Log. _

_For the past few weeks, I've felt off. Different. I tried to chalk it up to a sickness but I'm starting to think that this bad feeling I have has got something to do with the events of today and what's to come. I've learned to trust my gut, and I need to listen to it now. But I can't be sure that this bad feeling isn't anything more than the way I feel..._

...lost? Janeway quickly switched off the computer, ending her log entry at the same time. For several weeks, she'd felt like something was missing. Yet, in her mind she knew that nothing had changed. But this feeling ran deep and cursed through her veins. She carried it with her in every step, on every deck. Something was out of place. She hoped the answer had something to do with the mysterious planet.

With a deep sigh, she picked up her book and began her nightly ritual of soaking up the literature.

_TBC_


End file.
